Special to The News/John RoseResidents check out the raging waters pouring from Mary Elmer Lake on Sunday
evening.

BRIDGETON — More than 1,000 feet of Sunset Lake’s conduit to the Cohansey River — the Raceway — has been wiped out.

The
boat ramp that tore away during the storm was discovered off Backneck
Road in Fairton. A resident secured it and the city retrieved it.

“Our floodgates weren’t ready for 10 to 11 inches of rain,” said Mayor Albert Kelly at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

Council
members discussed relief efforts during the storm and the damages
they’ve seen since — the majority of which stem south around Park Drive. It’s still too early for specific details on repairs, though the city announced they intend to do the work correctly.

“Sometimes
when these things happen, you want to repair things as quickly as
possible and get everything back to normal but it is critical that we
take our time and do the job right the first time,” said Public Works
Department (PWD) Director Dean Dellaquila.

A map provided at the council meeting dissected some of the destruction in the City Park region.

It
includes the approximately 1,200 feet of damage to the Raceway, also
the walking trails and pond just off Park Drive, not to mention the road
itself.

“Certainly, Park Drive will not be in use for some time,” said Council President Mike Zapolski.

Sunset
Lake crested well over the road and into the park during the height of
the storm and the current was strong enough to bend back guardrails.

“I
was taking a tour of the zoo while Channel 40 (NBC) was there. Six
animals had to be relocated, but they’re all safe,” said Councilman Bill
Spence.

Bridgeton Fire Department Chief Dave Schoch said hinges
on the boat dock and the handrail sustained damages from the storm, but
were likely repairable. Schoch said it’s good the part was retrieved because “it would have been a pretty hefty expense for another piece of dock.”

Kelly and city officials met Tuesday morning to assess the physical state of the city. Engineers
and the Bridgeton PWD met with the state Office of Emergency
Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)

“The most severe impacts were along the Cohansey River, from downtown, through the city park and north past Sunset Lake into Upper Deerfield and Hopewell Townships,” the city announced in a press release.

City
and county officials will be meeting to do damage assessments and
determine a cost for cleanup and repair both in Bridgeton and
county-wide.

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Freeholder
Director Bill Whelan said he had contacted the White House and the FEMA
to convey the present situation here.

“We are still going through the process of assessing the damages as to determine the cost of repair,” said Kelly.

Hopefully, nobody starts pointing fingers because this is going to be a collective effort.

“This
is something that can be considered systemic, involving the river, the
lakes and the tributaries north of Bridgeton, so these discussions are
going on in every township,” said Kelly.

He added that in light
of the weekend events, it gives the city the chance to do a “permanent
fix” on the Raceway and make the city park a “permanent place of
destination” for visitors.

Moving forward also involves the residents of these affected areas.

Kelly asks for their patience “so we can do what we have to do, and do it correctly.

“While
the lake and Raceway took the brunt of things, I feel very badly for
people all over the area who lost their possessions.”